[Vincent Chase]

A little talked about STD but it can be brutal. It is transmitted through bodily fluids through vaginal, anal and oral sex.

People who have the chronic case (often mother to child) are genuinely fucked. Hep B is an infection of the liver and is by far the biggest cause of liver cancer. It has shorter life expectancy. Of course nor should you be drinking alcohol with that shit. While people are hoping for a Hep B cure it is likely at least 5-10 years away.

Many don't have any symptoms and find out years later that they may not live to 60 with the chances of liver disease so high.

The good news is 90-95% of adults who get infected with Hep B just have the accute phase and it resolves itself after 6 months. After that you are effectively immune.

Children these days are given vaccines for Hep B, started in the last 5 years or so in many Western countries. Even in Eastern Europe prevalance is high as 2-7%. It is thought over 400k people in the UK have Hep B, while in the US it is 1.4m people.

It is worth considering getting a vaccine for Hep B (which you can get together with Hep A) as an adult if you're fucking around a lot, especially without a condom and in countries such as south east asia.

No I don't have it, but a Chinese friend has just found out he has it (Chronic Hep B likely from birth) and has to live with it.

[RatInTheWoods]

You can get immunised against Hep A and B cheaply and easily.

I have, and would recommend this to all men who are sexually active and like to raw dog.

[Vincent Chase]

The NHS in the UK don't seem to give out the Hep B vaccine readily unless you're a heroin addict or a prostitute, probably costs them too much. Basically you have to pay for it, which is fucking retarded giving how bad it is.

The vaccine has been around since 1985 but only recently children in many western countries have been vaccinated.

I signed up the Hep A and B as one vaccine in a private clinic. Well worth doing. In fact travel advice for many countries strongly advise you to do so.

Hep B is in many ways a worse disease than HIV (in its treatable form) and easier to catch, just without the stigma.

Three doses of the vaccine and you're set for the next 25 years.

[BaatumMania]

^^^

Actually HIV is nothing these days. Just pop in a cocktail daily and virtually no symptoms and live to age 85.

Stuff like untreatable bacterial infections, which make it feel like someone is punching your groin every 5 minutes, will either kill you or make you want to kill yourself.